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This article is an enlargement of a talk given to the Montana State Librarians' annual convention in Lewistown, Montana, October 10, 1927. Describes the early history of the Judith Basin area from the early Indian tribes through the early white settlers. Also includes the early gold mines, stock raising, and Fort Maginnis.

Creator

Worthen, Clifton B.

Genre

newspapers

Type

Text

Date Original

1927-10-10

Subject (keyword)

Judith Basin; Gold Mines; Fort Maginnis; Stock raising;

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No copyright restrictions.

Contributing Institution

Lewistown Public Library, Lewistown, MT.

Publisher (Original)

Clifton B. Worthen

Geographic Coverage

Central Montana

Coverage-date

1805-1927

Physical collection

SC 1.1 Fergus a miniature of the west

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Canon MX310 300dpi

Full text of this item

FERGUS, A MINIATURE OF THE WEST
By Clifton B. Worthen
(This article is an enlargement of a talk given to the Montana State Librarians' annual convention in Lewistown, October 10, 1927, due to the fever or Miss Main.
It is presented in this issue of the Democrat-News partly in the hope that any mistakes made herein will be noted by people acquainted with the facts and called to the attention of the author in detail and at length. He would also like to have any further information on anything mentioned in this essay or upon any feature of the history of Central Montana which is not touched upon here.
--Clifton B. Worthen)
Judith Basin has been the home of the Indian from time immemorial. Here the Blackfeet, Crow, Nez Perce, Flathead, Pend d'oreilles, Bannacks and, starting in the 1860's, the Sioux came to hunt the buffalo and other game which teemed the grassy hills and plains of Central Montana.
An Indian lodge needing meat would send out its hunters ahead of the caravan to kill as many animals as were needed. The hunters on their trained buffalo-hunting horses would approach as near as possible without being observed to the herd of buffalo and then charge up alongside a suitable animal discharging an arrow into its ribs behind the shoulder. With the herd on the run, they never stopped to see if an animal was killed or not but ranged up alongside the next victim, this process continuing, if need be, either until the horse was exhausted or the quiver of arrows was empty. The buffalo was the staff of life to the Indians; it provided his shelter, food, and clothing to a great extent. Although many other kinds of game, both furred and feathered, and berries of various kinds were included in his diet, the buffalo was the principal item. It was cooked fresh, dried in strips or dried in small chunks, minced up with fat and stored in buckskin envelopes called parfleches.
The tanned hides of the buffalo were used for making the covering over the circular
skeleton of poles for the lodge. Arranged around the inside of the lodge would be the willow cots of the occupants. The sectors between couches being used for storage space.
The Indian's clothing was made of the skins of buffalo, elk, antelope or deer which was tanned into leather by the women and made into shirts, leggins, moccasins, which together with a breechclout and toga of buffalo leather comprised the Indian man's outfit of clothing. What is the more remarkable--is that, with the exception of the moccasins, he made it himself.
The Judith Basin was the scene of many a fight between rival Indian tribes, although dominated most of the time by the Blackfeet. Several of the tribes from west of the Rockies would come over here on an annual hunt for buffalo. Whenever they came within striking distance of each other, the various tribes were engaged in open battle, raids or horse-stealing expeditions. An excursion on one side being sure to be followed by a return visit of some kind from the other. The Blackfeet, who regard themselves as the rightful owners of the Basin would hang on the trial of the Indians from the West, making life as much a burden as possible for the visitors.
The Crows were the principal rivals of the Blackfeet for the use of the Basin. Their hunting parties met in frequent conflict, while horse-stealing forays were numerous; both types of contact resulting in the death of many of the participants, while the aged, the women, and the children were not always exempt.
Horace Brewster related that two bands of Indians, a Crow and a Sioux, met near the Arrow Refinery during the 1870's, and that in order to avoid wholesale slaughter among the two tribes, the two chiefs decided upon a duel as a vicarious substitute for a general battle. The encounter took place on the bench above the refinery. The two chiefs, mounted, charged each other and fired, both being mortally wounded. One was given a lodge burial near the spot, where he lay in full battle paraphernalia for many weeks.
As the Sioux were pushed westward in the late 1860's by the increasing pressure of white population in Minnesota and the Dakotas, they came into conflict not only with the whites in Central Montana but also the Crows and Blackfeet. The trading towns of the 1860's and '70's and the settlers of the 1880's were given many opportunities to remember that they were near a not-¬easily-forgotten Indian hunting ground.
Longer accounts of these struggles may be found in Luther Kelly's book, "Yellowstone Kelly", in Volume II of the State Historical Society's Contributions, and in James Willard Schultz's "My Life as an Indian", and "Rising Wolf'.
The Indians called Arrow river, Ap-si-is-i-mak-ta; Armell's creek, It-tsis-ki-os-op; Judith (yellow) (river and mountains) O-to-kur-tuk-tai; Musselshell River (The Other Side Bear river) O- pumohat Kyai-is-i-sak-ta; Snowy Mountains, Kwan-is-tuk-ists; and the Moccasins, Mut-si-kin-is-tuk-ists
The Indians not only hunted here but spent their winters here trapping beaver and wolves. Trading the furs at first to the far distant Hudson Bay post, Mountain Fort, later Bow Fort, on the Blackfeet Bow River, a branch of the Saskatchewan. In later days, these furs were traded at posts of the American Fur Company, on the Missouri, or of independent traders.
When the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1805 came up the Missouri river on their way west, they spent several nights camping between the Musselshell and Arrow creek. As the boats of the party were pulled or poled up the river, assisted whenever possible by the use of sails, Lewis and Clark hunted and explored along the banks of the Missouri, leaving us a record of its geology, flora, fauna and streams. This party reached the Musselshell, May 20, 1805 and Arrow Creek May 29, 1805.
Two days' entry in the Lewis and Clark Journals may be of interest to the reader, that of Clark for Sunday, May 26, 1805, on which day he caught his first sight of the Rocky Mountains, and that of Lewis for May 29, 1805, in which the naming of the Judith river is described.
"Clark May 26, Sunday 1805
We set out early and proceeded as yesterday wind from the S. W. the river enclosed with very high hills on either side. I took one man and walked out this morning, and ascended the high country to view the mountains which I thought I saw yesterday, from the first summit of the hill I could plainly see the Mountains on either side which I saw yesterday and at no great distance from me, those on the Stard Side is an errigular range, the two extremeties of which bore West and N. West from me. those Mountains on the Lard. Side appeared to be serverl detached Knobs or Mountains riseing from a level open countrey, at different distances from me, from South West to South East, on one the most S. Westerly of these Mountains there appeared to be snow. I crossed a Deep holler and assended a part of the plain elivated much higher than where I first viewed the above Mountains; from this point I beheld the Rocky Mountains for the first time with certainty, I could only discover a flew of the most elivated points above the horizon, the most remarkable of which by my pocket compas I found bore S. 60 W. those points of the rocky Mountain were covered with Snow and the Sun Shone on it in such a manner as to give me a most plain and satisfactory view. whilst I viewed those mountains I felt a secret pleasure in finding myself so near the head of the heretofore conceived boundless Missouri; but when I reflected on the difficulties which this snowey barrier would most probably throw in my way to the Pacific Ocean, and the sufferings and hardships of my self and party in them it in some measure conterballanced the joy I had felt in the first moments in which I gazed on them; but as I have always held it little Short of criminality to anticipate evels I will allow it to be a good comfortable road until I am compelled to believe otherwise. The high country in which we are present and have been passing for some days I take to be a continuation of what the Indians as well as the French Engages call the Black Hills. This tract of country so called consists of a collection of high broken and irregular hills and short chains of Mountains, sometimes 100 miles in width and again becoming much narrower, but always much higher than the country on either side; the commence about the head of the Kanzas river and to the west of that river near the Arkansaw river, from whence they take their cource a little to the west of N.W. approaching the Rocky Mountains obliquely passing the river Platte near the forks, and intercepting the River Rochejhons near the big bend of that river, and passing the Missouri at this place, and probably continueing to swell the country as far North as the Saskashawon river, that they are lower here than they were discribed to the South, and may therefore termonate before they reach the Saskashawan. the Black Hills in their course northerly appear to approach more nearly the Rocky Mountains. I saw a great number of white brant, also the common brown brant. Geese of the common size & kind and a small Species of geese, which differs considerably from the common or Canadian Goose; their necks, head and backs are considerably thicker, shorter and larger than the other in propotion its size they are also more than a third smaller and their note more like that of the brant or young goose which has not perfectly acquire his note; in all other respect they are the same in colour habits and the number of feathers in the tail, they frequently also ascoiate with the large Geese when in flocks, but never saw them pared with the larger or common goose. The white Brant ascoiates in very large flocks, they to not appear to be mated or pared off as if they intended to raise their young in this quarter, I therefore doubt whether they reside here dureing the summer for that purpose. This bird is larger than the common brown brant or 2/3 of the common goose. it is not so long by six inches from point to point of the wings when extended as the other; the back head and neck are also larger and stronger; their beak, legs and feet are of a redish flesh coloured white. the eye of a moderate size, the puple of a deep see green encercled with a ring of yellowish brown. It has 16 feathers of equal length in the tail their note differs but little from the common brant. they are of a pure white except the large feathers of the 1st and 2nd joint of the wings which are jet black.
The country which borders the river is high broken and rocky, Generally imbeded with a soft sand stone. higher up the hill the stone is of a brownish yellow hard and gritty those stones was down from the hills into the river and cause the shore to be rocky&c which we find troublesom to assend there is scarce any bottom between and the Hills & river and but a fiew trees to be seen on either side except scattering pine on the sides of the emence hills, we passed 2 creeks on the Stard side both of them had running water in one of those Creek capt. Lewis tells me saw (a) soft shell Turtle Capt. Lewis in his walk killed a fat Buffalow which we were in want of our hunters killed 2 Mountain rams or big horns in the evening we passed a rapid, which extended quite across the river we assended it by the assistance of a cord & poles on the Lard. side the Cliffs jut over, the opposit side is a small leavel bottom, we camped a little above in a small Grove of Cotton trees on the Lard. Side in the rapid we saw a Dow Elk & hir faun, which gave rise to the name of Elk & faun Riffle. We had a few drops of rain at Dark. The Salts coal & Burnt hill & Pumieston Still continue, game scarce. This Countrey may with propriety I think be termed the Deserts of America, as I do not conceive any part can ever be settled, as it is deficent in water, Timber & too steep to be tilled. We passed old Indians lodges in the woody points every day & 2 at our camp &c.
("Lewis) Wednesday May 29th 1805
Last night we were all allarmed by a large buffaloe Bull, which swam over from the opposite shore and coming along side of the white perogue, climbed over it to land, he then allarmed ran up the bank in full speed directly towards the fires, and was within 18 inches of the heads of some of the man who law sleeping before the centinel could allarm him or make him change his course, still more alarmed, he now took his direction immediatelh towards our lodge, passing between 4 fires and within a few inches of the heads of one range of the men as they yet lay sleeping, when he came near the tent, my dog saved us by causing him to change his course a second time, which he did leaving us by this time all in an uproar with our guns in o(u)r hands, enquiring of each other the ca(u)se of the arlarm, which after a few moments was explained by the dentinal: we were happy to find no one hirt. The next morning we found that the buffaloe in passing the perogue had trodden on a rifle, which belonged to Capt. Clark's black man, who had negligently left her in the perogue, the rifle was much bent, he had also broken the spindle; pivit, and shattered the stock of one of the biunderbushes on board, with this damage I felt well content, happey indeed, that we had sustaned no further injury. It appears that the white perogue, which contains our most valuable stores is attended by some evil genii. This morning we set out at an early hour and proceded as usual by the Chord. at the distance of 2-1/2 Miles passed a handsome river which discharged itself on the Lard. side, I walked on shore and ascended this river about a mile and a half in order to examine it. I found this river about 100 yards wide from bank to bank, the water occupying about 75 yards the bed was formed of gravel and mud with some sand; it appeared to contain much more water as (than) there were no large stone or rocks in it's bed to obstruct the navigation; the banks were low yet appeared seldom to overflow; the water of this River is clearer much than any we have met with great abundance of the Argalia or Bighorned animals in the high country through which this river passes. Cap. C. who assended this R. much higher than I did has thought proper to call (called) it Judieths River. (Note: the Judith River, at first named "Bighorn" by Lewis, was afterwards renamed by Clark in honor of Miss Julia Hancock of Fincastle, Va., who later became his wife. She was but thirteen years of age at this time, and by her friends was nicknamed "Judy".--Ed.) the bottoms of this river as far as I could see were wider and contained more timber than the Missouri; here I saw some Box alder intermixed with the Cottonwood willow; rose bushes and honeysuckle with some red willow constitute the undergrowth. On the Missouri just above the entrance of the Big Horn (Judith) River I counted the remains of the fires of 126 Indians lodges which appeared to be of very recent date perhaps 12 or 13 days. Capt. Clark also saw a large encampment just above the entrance of this river on the Stard. side of reather older date, probably they were the same Indians. The Indian woman with us ex(a)mined the mockersons which we found at these encampments and informed us that they were not of her nation the Snake Indians, but she believe they were some of the Indians who inhabit the country on this side of the Rocky Mountains and North of the Missoury and I think it most probably that they were the Minetaries of Fort de Prarie, At the distance of six one-half Ms from our encampment of last night we passed a very bad rappid to which we gave the name of the Ash rappid from a few trees of that wood growing near them; this is the first ash I have seen for a great distance. At this place the hills again approach the river closely on both sides, and the same seen which we had on the 27th and 28th in the morning again presents itself, and the rocky points and riffles rather more numerous and worse; there was but little timber; the salts coal &c still appear. today we passed on the Stard. Side the remains of a vast many mangled carcasses of Buffalow which had been driven over a precipice of 120 feet by the Indians and perished; the water appeared to have washed away a part of this immence pile of slaughter and still their remained the fragments of at least a hundred carcases they created a most horrid stench. In the manner the Indians of the Missouri distroy vast herds of buffaloe at a stroke; for this purpose one of the most active and fleet young men is scelected and disguised in a robe of buffaloe skin, having also the skin of the buffaloe's head with the years and horns fastened on his head in form of a cap, thus caparisoned he places himself at a convenient distance between a herd of buffaloe and a precipice proper for the purpose, which happend in many places on this river for miles together; the other indians now surround the herd on the back and flanks and at a signal agreed on all show themselves at the same time moving forward towards the buffaloe; the disguised indian or decoy has taken care to place himself sufficiently high the buffaloe to be noticed by them when they take to flight and runing before them they follow him in full speede to the precipice, the cattle behind driving those in front over and seeing them go do not look or hesitate about following untill the whole are precipitated down the precepice forming one common mass of dead and(d) mangled carcases: the decoy in the mean time has taken to secure himself in some cranney or crivice of the cliff which he had previously prepared for that purpose. the part of the decoy I am informed is extreamly dangerous, if they are not very fleet runers the buffaloe tread them under foot and crush them to death, and sometimes drive them over the precipice also, where they perish in common with the buffaloe. we saw a great many wolves in the neighborhood of these mangled carcases they were fat and extreemly gentle, Capt. C. who was on shore killed one of them with his espontoon. just above this place we came too for dinner opposite the entrance of a bold runing river 40 Yds, wide which falls in on Lard. side. this stream we called Slaughter river. (Note: Now Arrow Creek, as named on the maps.--Ed.) it's bottoms are but narrow and contain scarcely any timber. our situation was a narrow bottom on the Stard. possesing some cottonwood. soon after we landed it began to blow & rain, and as there was no appearance of even wood enough to make our fires for some distance above we determined to remain here untill the next morning, and accordingly fixed our camp and gave each man a small dram. notwithstanding the allowance of sperits we issued did not exceed one-half (jill) pr. man several of them were considerably effected by it; such is the effects of abstaining for some time from the uce of sperituous liquors; they were all very merry, The hunters killed an Elk this evening, and Capt. C. killed two beaver.
1806
Lewis' part of the expedition came down the Missouri on its way east in 1806, reaching Arrow creek July 29th, and the Musselshell August 1st. The most noteworthy feature of this portion of the journey being the almost continuous rain.
1830
Maximilian, Prince of Wied, a famous German naturalist and traveler came up the Missouri in 1830. An entry from his description of the country passed through on August 1st might be of interest because it includes a description of the Bad Lands.
"On the 1st day of August, early, Mr. Mitchell sent two engages to Fort McKenzie, to give notice of our coming. We landed them on the south bank, laden with their arms and beds. We lay to at the wooded island, called, by Lewis and Clarke, Tea Island, in the channel on the north bank. As some elks had been seen, the hunters were landed on the island, and in a short time we heard firing in all directions and in half an hour they had killed four elks, and an elk fawn, and a young deer. On account of the number of animals found on this island, we agreed to change the foolish name of Tea Island to Elk Island. Mr. Mitchell, who had often travelled this way always found the island full of elks, and once, of buffaloes. On this day he brought from it a large eagle and a rattle¬snake; and Mr. Bodner had taken, in the neighboring prairie, a large Coluber exmius above four feet in length.
"Near Lewis and Clarke's Bighorn Island, we again saw most singular summits on the hills. Entire rows of extra-ordinary forms joined each other, and in the lateral valleys we had interesting glimpses of this remarkable scenery, as we were now approaching the most interesting part of the Mauvaises Terres. I have already described these mountains when speaking of the White Castles, but here they begin to be more continuous, with rough tops, isolated pillars, bearing flat slabs, or balls, resembling mountain-castles, fortresses and the like, and they are more steep and naked at every step. Often one may plainly perceive hills or mountains that have evidently sunk into the marshy valley. Many strata inclined at an angle of 30 degrees to 60 degrees, and others perfectly horizontal. The course of the Missouri among these mountains is pretty straight, only narrow plains or prairies, covered with Artemisia and the prickly bushes of the pulpy thorn, lie on its banks before the mountains, which frequently come very near to the river, with large blocks of sandstone at their feet, between which fragments of selenite are always seen. It were to be wished that the geologist and the painter might devote considerable time to examine this country, step by step; they would furnish a work of the highest interest. In many places the loose pieces had slipped down so as to foini buttresses; in other parts the mountains were spotted with groups of pines. We here collected several plants, and Mr. Bodner made a sketch of the mountain tops. The pretty striped squirrel, which lives in small round holes in the clay walls, was here frequently seen, and I conjecture that, if these mountains were closely examined, several species of this animal would be found. The country was so interesting that we waited with impatience for the morning of the 2nd of August."
1846
The next traveler on record to visit the county was Father Pierre-Jean de Smet, while on his way east down the Yellowstone decided to make a side trip northwesterly to Fort Lewis, the immediate predecessor of Fort. Benton near the mouth of the Marias. The party starting from the Yellowstone included Blackfeet, Flathead and Nez Perces. They crossed Central Montana in September 1846. A quotation from Father de Smet's journal for September 12th is here given because it contains some interesting references to Indian hunting and other customs.
"The 12th, the day of Nicholas' burial, some of the hunters are sent out to look for game;
for scarcity was making itself felt in camp. One of these scouts soon spies in the distance immense herds of buffalo, appearing as little black dots. He returns toward camp to announce the glad news and mounts a high hill, when he can be seen, standing on his worse, holding the stock of his gun high in the air; it is a signal to announce the presence of the animals. Then the chief proclaims a great hunt; the hunters rope their best horses, which are jumping and prancing with joy. We start at a gallop; but when they are about to rush upon their prey, the horsemen stop, to recite, after the example of the Flatheads, three Ave Marias, in honor of the Holy Virgin. (Some of them know it in Flathead.) Can I express the joy I felt at hearing this prayer under these circumstances? I shall not try; pious souls will fell it sufficiently. The prayer ended, the hunters get to horse again and pursue animals, which lead them to a great distance. Each killed one, two or three, according to the strength of his horse. There was an abundant supper in every lodge and all the fires were surrounded with numerous beef-steaks; mine was garnished with a wreath of tongues, humps and kidneys, which the hunters had reserved for the Black-robes, and which we shared like brothers with all who came to call.
"After supper a splendid evening entertainment was given in our lodge by a Blackfoot, so good, so sensible and at the same time so original, that it was a real pleasure in every respect to us to hear him. All communication was by sight. Here are some of the observations he had made during the stay in the Flathead camp. When we arrived" he said, "we had plenty of meat. The Flatheads the Nez Perces were short; they visited us and we gave them to eat according to custom. The Flatheads, before they would touch anything, put their hands to their foreheads, made the sign of the cross then a good prayer; whereas the Nez Perces fell upon the food like starved animals. Sunday the Flatheads all sat quiet in their lodges, thought only of praying to God and encouraging one another in well-doing; while the Nez Perces put on fine clothes and scattered here and there, for more harm than good. I noticed especially that the Nez Perces maintained no such reserve toward our young people as did the Flatheads; so, in the fight with the Crows, it was only the Nez Perces who had any losses to mourn; I saw by this that the white men's God is good to the good; but also that when he chooses, he knows how to find the wicked, to punish them as they deserve."
"The astonishing successes of the Flatheads, in the wars that have been forced on them the last three years, have confirmed their enemies in the belief that they have held of late, that the medicine of the Blackrobes is stronger than theirs.
"To return to the Blackfoot observer, he ended his pantomime by giving us to understand that he liked two things very much: play and drink; but that notwithstanding he would not be the last to leave these delights, a resolve which he frequently renews since his children were baptized. Two Piegans have come to camp with the news that their band is in the neighborhood."
In the early 1850's Congress decided to have several possible railroad routes to the Pacific surveyed. The route of the 47th parallel of latitude was assigned to Isaac I. Stevens. When this expedition reached Fort Benton, Lieutenant John Mullan accompanied by five whites and several Indians were detailed to go to a Flathead camp which was supposed to be on the Musselshell and from there up the Musselshell westward across the Rocky mountains to ascertain the practicability of this route for a wagon road or railroad. This party crossed the Judith Basin in September, 1853. In Lt. Mullan's report he has given us a very interesting description of the geography of the Basin. The extract here given, of September 12th, tells us some interesting facts regarding the game found here.
"September 12, 1853.--Monday commences mild and pleasant, the thermometer 47 degrees Fah. We resumed our journey at twenty minutes to 7 a.m.; our course being in a direction south of
east, over a very beautiful and level prairie road. The grass on the prairie, and even in the valley, we found very dry; water, as yesterday, being exceedingly scarce until we struck the main branch of Judith river, which, taking its rise in the main chain of the Belt mountains, we found to be a stream of most beautifully clear, cold water, with a rapid current, the water being from eighteen inches to two feet deep; its banks also, as far as I could observe in either direction, were of a gravelly formation. This stream winds through a very beautiful but narrow valley, which, during high water, is the bed of the stream. The eastern portion of the Belt mountains being called the Judith mountains, might lead one to suppose that the Judith river takes its rise in the Judith mountains, but such is not the case. On our road the so-called Judith mountains lay to our left, while the main chain of the Girdle or Belt mountains lay to our right. The low ranges might with propriety have no separate and distinct names, as they are separated by a gap or pass fifteen or sixteen miles wide; but when taken together they form a belt or girdle, the concavity of which is turned toward the north. The name has been applied to them of the Girdle or Belt mountains. Five or six miles father we struck another tributary of the Judith river, coming from the west with a rapid current, being from fifteen to twenty feet wide; water clear and cool, and very excellent. The grass on this stream we found to be good, its banks being totally unwooded. I saw in the distance still another tributary coming from the so-called Judith mountains, on the banks of which were scattered a few pines and cottonwoods. The grass on the Judith river where we made the crossing was not good; its banks are unwooded, both where we crossed it and as far up and down as we could see. The Judith mountains, as also the approaches to them, are well wooded--the pine tree abounding. At 12 m. we halted on the main tributary to the Judith mountains, where we remained an hour and a half, having travelled a distance of seventeen miles from our camp of last night. Just before reaching this tributary, we saw to our front, and at a distance of five or six miles, a large band of buffalo, which caused us to think we were approaching the Flathead country. Game was found to be more abundant than on any day wince leaving the Missouri. We succeeded in securing four buffalo, which were killed by the Indians with us. Elk in large bands, and many ducks, were seen during the day. Resuming our journey along the last mentioned tributary of the Judith river, our course lay over a beautiful and level prairie, the grass of which was abundant and excellent. Still continuing to have the main chain of the Belt mountains to our right, and the Judith mountains to our left, at half past four p.m. we came in sight of the Snow mountains, a range south of the Muscle Shell, which at a distance appears higher than either the Belt of the Judith mountains, and whose snow-capped peaks now towered high above the surrounding country. At the same time, we struck a small stream with an exceedingly rapid current, taking its rise in the Judith mountains, which we called Buffalo creek, from the great numbers of buffalo seen on its banks. This stream was unwooded, its water being clear, cook, and limpid, in which were to be seen great numbers of mountain trout, some of which our Indians succeeded in catching. The grass along its borders was excellent and green. Our camp of this night was at the foot of the largest peak of the main chain of the Judith mountains. About 8 p.m. we were startled by the approach from the mountains of a large grizzly bear that came running with full speed into our camp. The horses were frightened, and were preparing for a stampede, when their picket-ropes held them fast. Mr. Rose who was on watch at the time, and our Indians, had secured their guns; but seeing them, he turned to the right, and soon was seen scampering away across the prairie. The night was exceedingly mild and beautiful, the moon shining clear and bright till after 12 p.m. Our camp was a scene of feasting and good cheer,
having killed an abundance of buffalo during the day; the meat at night was served up boiled, baked, roasted and fried. This was a grand season for the Indians, they sat up half the night, among the camp-fires, cooking--our fuel consisting of the wood left by a Blackfoot camp. The Judith mountains are a great resort for the Blackfoot Indians during the summer season, as game of all kinds is found in abundance; and here, too, they procure poles for their travels and lodges, and everywhere were to be seen their old camping grounds, one of which was chosen by our guide for our night's camp, as there was found an abundance of wood.
"Having then plenty of wood and an abundance of meat, the Indians had no difficulty in serving up for themselves a rich repast; and around the high blazing fires were to be seen roasting the fat tender-loin ribs, and all the choice pieces of the buffalo, in addition to the many ducks killed during the day. They rested content and happy."
In 1860 an army expedition, under the command of Bvt. Brigadier General W. F. Reynolds, which had been exploring the headwaters of the Yellowstone and Missouri, stopped at Fort Benton. In order to secure more definite information concerning the character of the country between the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers Lieutenant John Mullins of the 2nd Dragoons and a large party of troops, packers, and three scientists, guided by Jim Bridger was sent from Benton the mouth of the Yellowstone on the south side of the Missouri. This party crossed Judith Basin in July 1860 coming up Big Spring Creek. They were on the bench between the present site of Lewistown and the Judith Mountains on July 24th.
The journal for this day follows. (Note the first recorded flying of our national flag in Central Montana and the circumstances connected therewith):
July 24--Weather clear and warm. Left camp this morning at 6 a.m., and travelled, east by south, up the left hand fork of the Judith, crossing it several times in order to avail ourselves of the best country for travelling. The country was more broken than during yesterday's route, and the route consequently rougher. I was gradually ascending a depression in the Judith mountains, where I expected to find a pass. At five miles from camp we crossed a stream putting in from the south. At half-past 9 a.m. I observed a large band of Indians approaching us down the valley of the stream we were ascending; I sent an advance party with my guide to ascertain who they were. They proved to be the "Little Robes", a band of the Blackfeet Indians. They were delighted to meet us, and I accompanied them to their village, half a mile distant, where, to my surprise, I saw waving from the top of the chiefs tent the "Star-Spangled Banner." I counted 54 lodges, and estimated the number of Indians to be about 150 or 200. They insisted upon my stopping with them, saying that they wished to eat, smoke, and talk with their white brethren. I concluded it was best to stop, and after selecting a good position for defense in case of treachery, I ordered out a stronger guard that usual and had the animals hobbled within gun-shot of camp, and the packs, parfleches, saddles, &, piled up in such a manner as to form a defensive work, to be used if necessary. The chief invited me to his tent and set out something to eat, of which I partook, although it was not very palatable in its nature, still I did not want to offend the feelings of our red brothers. I was enabled to talk with them through my guide and interpreter, James Bridger, who spoke the Flathead language and was readily understood, as there were several members of the band who were Flatheads and could interpret to the rest. I distributed a portion of the Indian goods that had been placed in my hands, with which they were highly delighted. The chief, a cross-eyed Indian, said that "his heart was full of joy" and that he loved his white brethren. He then harangued the people, and they gathered together a large quantity of buffalo meat and carried it down to my camp; we found it, just then, to be a very valuable and acceptable addition to our stock of provisions.
The country now became more broken and we are increasing our elevation rapidly. The Judith mountains are now in front and to the south of us, while several high buttes are in sight to the north. Got a meridian observation of the sun today for latitude, 47 degrees 06' 39" 2."
In order to secure an account of any travelers in the early 1870's, I have taken a story told me by Mr. Oscar Mueller, who is the foremost authority on Fergus county history from 1860 to 1880. Mr. Mueller has collected what is now a very valuable body of information on this period; much of it being secured from travelers and hunters whose accounts in most cases would have otherwise been lost forever.
"Mr. C. W. Cook came through here to take the steamer to go east to get some cattle and sheep. He came back a few months later with a freight outfit. Those freight outfits would all travel together and at night they would camp forming a circle with the wagons to barricade them against Indians, and they would usually have a night herder to look after the cattle or horses or whatever they used for transportation. If there was immediate danger of an Indian attack, they would make a larger circle, keeping the stock inside. Next morning they would go on, making fifteen or twenty miles daily. He followed this outfit until they got to the river. They were going too fast for his stock, so he gave directions for them to leave a little food for him, and he drove that stock up through a buffalo and Indian country alone, traveling in the morning and evening and keeping away from the trail at mid-day. But was lucky and did not encounter any Indians, but he did have a little trouble with the buffalo, as they came near stampeding his cattle.
Mr. Mueller also related the trip of two women who came through here in '76. They were young girls at the time and are still living. At that time a stage was operated from White Sulphur Springs and Diamond City to Carroll. They advertised it as a tri-weekly stage, but the residents say that it consisted of going down to Carroll one week and trying to get back the next. They got a report that there was to be a boat and they wanted to go back to Nebraska to visit. They made up a party with a buckboard and came down through this territory. The country in this basin impressed them as looking exactly like eastern Nebraska. The grass was two or three feet high. It was nothing like the condition now. The present condition is caused by the fact that it has been grazed so short that practically all the grass has been killed. They made, with a buckboard, about twenty-five or thirty miles a day. They reached the Reed and Boles Indian trading station down here at the Poor Farm one evening. There were always a few Indians camped there. They remember that they had buffalo steak and potatoes for supper, and afterwards the Indians came around to look at them and feel of their hair. Some of them had never seen a white woman before. About the time they intended to go to sleep that night, a stage came back from Carroll and said that there was a steamer down there and that they had better travel all night if they expected to catch it. So they started at ten o'clock. Mr. Boles, one of the owners of the Indian trading post, went with them. Although both Reed and Boles had very bad reputations, these people were very well treated. Although these men had lived with the Indians for years, yet when they came in contact with people of refinement they were men of considerable intelligence. They travelled all night and at times they could feel the earth shake as a herd of buffalo stampeded. That was continued practically all night, and the next morning Boles claimed that one of the girls killed a buffalo--at least she took a shot at it, but Boles probably killed it. That was near where Armells is located.
They travelled all night, past Armells and Blood Creek, and they got to Carroll about two o'clock and found that the boat had gone. They waited there three weeks before another boat came. That was the last boat that season. There was no white woman there except Mrs. Clendennin. Mr. Clendennin was keeping a store and she was his wife. There was another store there owned by the Power Company and managed by a man named Murphy. That was the beginning of the Power Company. They had nothing to do and could not leave the town because of Indians roaming about. The Indians at that time would take delight in picking up stragglers of that kind. You can imagine that it was quite a wait; those of you who have had to wait three or four hours for a train can imagine how they felt."
The last on my list of travelers is Capt. Wm. Ludlow of the Engineers Corps, U.S. Army, who made a reconnaissance from Carroll, a town on the Missouri near the present town of Wilder, to Yellowstone Park and return in the summer of 1875. The party consisted of four friends, including George Bird Grinnell and Edward B. Dana of Yale College, who came as zoologist and geologist respectively, ten soldiers and two supply wagons.
Starting July 30, the party came up the Carroll road to a camp on Little Crooked Creek the first night, and at the stage station on Box Elder Creek the second.
The report for July 31st and August 4th reads as follows:
"July 31.--Camp was broken early, and the journey resumed through the same enlivening scenery for twenty miles, crossing Crooked Creek, a sluggish alkaline stream, deeply cut into the dark-gray clay (where the sight of a party of mounted Indians some miles away disturbed our lunch and started us on the road), to where the bounds of the Bad Lands were reached, and the road ascended upon high rolling prairie, over which a push of seven miles led into the valley of Box Elder Creek. This is a stage station, forty miles from Carroll, where a guard of four soldiers is maintained from Lewis. The halting-place is marked by a log cabin standing on the bank of the creek, a small stream of swift-flowing water, which has its source in the slopes of the Judith Mountains. During the day, two or three single buffalo were seen, and antelope had appeared from time to time since leaving Carroll."
"August 4th.--Pulled out at 6 a.m. The road led directly through the gap. From the southeast extremity of the Little Belt Mountains rises a fine spring, flowing east at first, and then doubling back through the gap into Ross's Fork.
The gap is formed by a depression five or six miles in width between the timbered Snowy and Belt Ranges. It constitutes the head of the Judith Basin, to the south appearing a broad level stretch of prairie, sloping down to the Musselshell, twenty or twenty-five miles distant. The Crow camp at the time we passed was said to be seven or eight miles to the eastward, on the southern slope of the Snowies. We also heard that a fight had taken place two nights before between the Crows and a party of Sioux and that a war-party of one hundred Sioux had passed subsequently through the gap going northward.
"Emerging from the gap, the road led west and south over a dry, sterile, and dusty prairie, in the teeth of a blistering southwest gale, across Hoppley's Hole and Haymaker’s and Daisy Dean Creeks, into the valley of the Musselshell where freshness and greenness and abundance of timber afforded the strongest contrast to the country behind us. The hired teams were mortally weary, and had been with the greatest difficulty urged all day against the strong, hot wind. Released from harness, they ran to the bank and leaped bodily into the stream, thrusting their muscles deep into the cool water with great contentment. The river is twenty-five or thirty feet wide, and on the average seven or eight inches deep, of clear, rapid flow over a gravelly bottom; the valley level, wide, fertile, and richly grassed, with heavy clumps of timber on the low banks of the stream.
FUR TRADE
The country between Arrow Creek and the Musselshell river has always been noted as a prolific game country. Fur and hide bearing animals of many kinds made it their home. This fact brought not only the Indian fur-trapper but employees of the American Fur Company and a host of independent trappers, hunters and traders.
James Willard Schultz says that Armell's creek was named after an American fur trader company trader of that name who had a post there one winter during the 1830's.
A recent newspaper article says that a Fort Andrews was established near the mouth of the Musselshell in 1862, but whether it traded with the Indians directly or used white trappers, I do not know, although I presume the latter method was employed since eleven men were mentioned as composing the garrison and the Indians were described as being hostile to the white hunters.
Fort Hawley was in existence as a fur trade center near the mouth of the Musselshell about 1867. It was established by the company which bought out the American Fur Company's business on this part of the Missouri.
The towns established at the mouth of the Musselshell to handle the steamboat trade were also considerable centers of the fur trade.
As will be noted later, Nelson Story and Company established a trading post near the mouth of the Big Casino creek late in 1873. This post was later moved to the point where the Carroll trail crosses Big Spring creek.
In 1879 there were two fur trading posts established in the Basin, one by Janeaux on the present site of Lewistown and the other by Schultz and Kipp on the Judith at the junction with Warm Spring Creek. The winter's trade of 1879-1880 of Schultz and Kipp brought them 1800 buffalo robes and 3000 small skins.
The winter of 1880-1881 was spent at Carroll where they traded for 3000 robes and many small skins. In the summer of 1881 they traded for some dried meat and pemmican, which was later sold to the Blackfeet and Sioux Indian agencies, a sure sign of the end of the buffalo. During the winter of 1881-1882 they secured 2,300 head and tail robes and about the same number of small skins, which included deer and antelope.
The winter of 1882-1883 the buffalo were practically gone and the hunters were large half-breeds, the Indians having gone north.
TO THE GOLD FIELDS
The first white settlements in Central Montana resulted from a combination of the fact that the gold camps of Western Montana needed supplies, and that the head of navigation on the Missouri for eight or nine months of the year was not at Fort Benton but near the mouth of the Musselshell.
William Berkin and some others in 1866 located a road running from the mouth of the Musselshell to south of the Snowies where it followed the bench up the Musselshell. This road was used by the freighters until 1870.
This freight traffic needed a terminal city near the mouth of the Musselshell. The first attempt was a town named after an old Missouri river steamboat captain: Kircheval City. It was
founded in 1866 and lasted but two years, being washed into the Missouri, late in 1867, as a part of that streams policy of continually changing its course.
In 1868 the attempt was renewed by the Montana Hide and Fur Company when it founded Musselshell City of just Musselshell. By the winter of 1868-69 there were eight buildings erected and some fifty people living there. A company of troops from Camp Cooke built a stockade there in 1868 to protect the settlement from the Indians, they were withdrawn that fall however.
The Indians (chiefly Sioux) made life at Musselshell very miserable. On top of this fact in 1869, but one steamer stopped at the town. In 1870 the Montana Hide and Fur Company closed its establishment there and during the year all of its inhabitants left except Colonel Clendennin and his employees, who carried on a desultory trade with the Indians until 1874.
It might be well to mention here that the steamboats on the Missouri travelled only in the day time, tying up close to shore at night.
The need of the steamboats for wood fuel developed a new occupation, that of chopping wood, along the river the followers of which were known as woodhawks. This was a dangerous occupation, as the Indians killed off these men whenever they could.
Another prominent occupation of the late 1860's and the 1870's was that of the wolfer. The wolfer would take a string of traps, a little food, rifle and ammunition and a supply of strychnine and going to a place frequented by the wolves and buffalo would shoot a buffalo and poison the carcass. The hunter would make a large circle of these baits and then retire while the wolves enjoyed the feast. The wolfer would then follow the circle around and skin the wolves, selling the hides to the traders.
The coming of the Central Pacific to Ogden, Utah had contributed to the failure to keep a town at the mouth of the Musselshell.
The depression of 1873 left the northern Pacific with its western terminus at Bismarck, North Dakota. This fact made it profitable for steamboats to run on the Missouri again, from Bismarck up to the head of navigation.
A group of hopeful people established the town on Carroll in 1874 in order to take care of the revival of steamboat freight on the Missouri. The goods landed at Carroll were transferred to the freight wagons that went down a road surveyed by Captain Clift, 30th. Infantry, in 1869 along the north side of the Judith’s, south to Judith Gap up the Musselshell and over the divide to the gold fields.
Carroll lasted through 1876 when most of it caved off into the Missouri river.
LEWISTOWN
Peter Koch says that "In the winter of 1872-73 Major F. D. Pease negotiated a treaty with the Crows, according to which they were to give up their reservation on the Yellowstone and accept in lieu of it the Judith Basin. This treaty was never ratified by the Senate and therefore came to nothing; but anticipating that this removal would take place, Messrs. Story and Hoffman, who were the traders to the Crows, engaged me to go down into the basin and establish a trading post. Captain Gross, an employee of the Crowe Agency went also to select a site for the new agency.
"A site was selected just below the mouth of Big Casino Creek, on the south bank of Big Spring Creek, and when the ox train with the goods and supplies had arrived I built there, during November and December, 1873, the first permanent houses in the Judith Basin. While waiting in
idleness for the arrival of the train, the boys put in most of their time with an old deck of cards, playing casino, and we accordingly named the creek we were camped on "Big Casino" and a little spring creek just below "Little Casino" and I was much amused years after on seeing Colonel Ludlow's map that these names had been perpetuated.
The basin was then the finest game country I ever saw, swarming with buffalo, elk, and deer. The white-tail deer were especially plentiful in the pine coulee which ran down through the foothills from the mountains, and their tameness showed that they had been very little hunted. Small bands of Crows came in to trade all through the winter, and we had considerable trouble from war parties of Sioux who came in to steal horses. One white man was killed by them.
"I left there in March, 1874, when it became evident that the removal of the Crows would not take place, and T. I. Dawes took charge of the post, which I had named Fort Sherman.
"That year Carroll was established on the Missouri River, and a wagon road was opened
from that point to Helena, running through the basin. Meanwhile Major Reed, an old Indian trader, had purchased the trading store from Story and Hoffman and moved it down Big Spring Creek about a mile and a half, to the crossing of the Carroll road."
In order to protect the freighters on the Carroll trail in 1874, Company F - 7th Infantry from Fort Shaw, commanded by Captain Constant Williams, was sent to establish a summer camp there, arriving on Big Spring Creek, near Dawes' Trading Store, May 10, 1874 and established a Camp Lewis. This company stayed during the summer performing the usual camp duties, i. e., patrolling the Carroll trail against Indian depredations.
On October 23, 1874, Company F was joined by Company I, also of the 7th Infantry, which came from Camp Cook, and the two companies left on or about the same day for Fort Shaw arriving there November 4, 1874.
Late in 1874, Alonzo Reed and John J. Bowles purchased the Dawes Trading Post and during the winter of 1874-75 moved it down Spring Creek to the crossing of the Carroll trail, where it stands today, part of the old log cabin at the County Farm.
For the summer of 1875 another military camp was established at Camp Lewis by two companies, G. and K, of the Seventh Infantry, Captain Browning commanding. These troops patrolled the Carroll trail, having a detachment stationed at the Box Elder stage station.
In 1879 a large number of half-breeds led by John Berger and including Ben Cline, the Laverdures, Diagnon and Morase. These half-breeds hunted and later settled chiefly to the north and northeast of Lewistown. Francis Janeaux came as camp trader to those half-breeds and others who might come this way. In 1879 he built a stockade near where the Montana building now stands. The stockade was built in the usual fashion of digging a trench and planting therein a row of upright poles of such a height above the ground that a man on horseback could not look inside. The neighborhood of this stockade was the camping ground for the freighters for a great many years afterward.
Reed and Bowles as partners maintained their trading post on the Carroll trail until 1880 when Reed moved out; setting up an establishment of his own on Little Casino creek where the old post-office is now located. This place came to be known as Reedsfort.
In March, 1884, there were about thirty-five buildings in Lewistown, including the stores of T. C. Power and Co., and the Pichette Bros. Mr. Power bought F. A. Janeaux's store in 1883 and since then it was grown considerably. There were also two hotels, four saloons, carpenter,
wheelwrite, blacksmith, and butcher shops, and a school building. At this time there were also saw mills on Big Casino and Rock creeks.
Some of the other towns of the 1880's in this region were: Andersonville, in the Judith Mountain region; Utica; Brassey on Beaver Creek; Grass Range; Bercail on Careless Creek; Philbrook, on the Judith River, near the present Hobson; Oka, established in 1879, south of the east end of the Belts; Ubet, west of the present Garneill; and old Stanford, about two miles from the present one. On the Missouri River was Rocky Point and Claggett (or Norris's Landing) near the mouth of the Judith River which had also been the site of Camp Cooke in the 1860's.
STOCK RAISING
In 1877 Severance and Co. established a sheep ranch in the Judith Gap. They had 1500 head of sheep to start with and about 11,000 in 1885.
The first stock to be brought into the Judith Basin were driven in by Henry Books for T. C. Power and Co. in 1878-79. This herd did exceedingly well and gradually as the nature of the country became known the number of stock rapidly increased. The Fergus family and the D.H.S. came into the Basin in 1880. By 1883 there were 33,000 cattle within a radius of twenty miles of Maiden.
By 1885 several of the largest and wealthiest stock companies of the territory had chosen this section as the scene of their operations, among them were Stewart, Anderson and Company, located three miles east of Fort Maginnis, who had 12,000; James Fergus, eight miles northeast of Maiden had 3,000 head of sheep, 200 head of horses and a choice selection of purebred cattle; Brooks on Warm Spring Creek, had 3,000 head, supplying Fort Maginnis with beef, Bailey Hauser and Company on McDonald Creek had 300 blooded horses; the Montana Sheep Company whose ranch was just east of the Snowy range, had a flock of over 15,000 head, mostly Merino; Forman on McDonald Creek had 7,000 head. The D.H.S. (Davis, Hauser and Stuart), had its home south of Fort Maginnis on Ford's Creek. Other important stockmen were J. L. Stuart and James Dempsey on Dog Creek. John H. Ming on Plum Creek, the Judith Cattle Company J. L. Perkings, Henry Seiben, Robert Coburn, John Dovenspeck, Thomas Ryan, Montana Cattle Co., R. W. Quaile, Hill and Hightower and the Galloway Cattle Co.
In 1885 there were about 100,000 each of sheep and cattle within a radius of sixty miles of Maiden. The largest horse raisers were: Bailey and Kennett on the fork of McDonald Creek, about ten miles south of Fort Maginnis; Thomas Shea on Armell's Creek on the north side of the Judith mountains and Barr Smith.
By 1884 the range was beginning to be overstocked but the cattlemen continued to send in stock. The situation was very serious by 1886.
The winter of 1886-1887 was the most severe on record in Central Montana. From seventy to ninety per cent of the cattle were destroyed. This marks the end of cattle raising on a large scale on the open range. Sheep raising later became more prominent.
A detailed picture of the cowboy's life was given to me by ''Bill" Newton of Hobson and sounded something as follows:
The roundup started late enough in the spring so that the brands on the cattle could be easily distinguished. The Judith roundup starting May 10 and lasting until about July 4. It had about fifty riders and three hundred horses. The Spring roundup was largely for the purpose of branding the calves.
The Fall roundup started the latter part of August or the first part of September, depending on the condition of the market and of the beef. It was the beef roundup for the purpose of cutting out the beef animals for shipment. Most of the animals shipped were four-year olds, though sometimes the larger and even other three-year olds, dry cows and five-year olds that had been missed were shipped, depending upon the financial needs of the owner.
Most of the animals shipped out of Central Montana went down to Billings to the N. P. railroad, though later the Manitoba (the Great Northern as it was known) became an important competitor. Some stock was driven to Fort Benton and other river points for shipment on steamboats.
Between roundups most of the cowboys would be laid off, there being plenty of them on hand for the next roundup. In the intervals they would bum around the country. Some of them would go off on sky-larking exploits, hunting expeditions, or work on some ranch. At the roundup each owner had one man to every 250 calves, 250 calves representing 1000 head of stock. The general expenses of the roundup for the day and night horse wranglers, the cook, and food and other provisions were pro-rated among the owners according to the per cent which his cattle made of the total number of cattle handled by the roundup.
During the winters and between the Spring and Fall roundups the cattle were left with practically no attention. They got through the winters as best they could. Sometimes after storms men went out to look after the animals, picking up the calves and weaklings, which were sometimes handed over to ranchers. Occasionally the cattle were driven away from the creek bottoms, where they had a tendency to congregate, out to range.
In the spring when the snow was melting, some of the weak cattle in their attempts to get water would get mired down and would not be strong enough to get up. If discovered they would be "tailed-up" but were usually too far gone to live.
The work of the roundup would start at one end of that range and work toward the other. A camp would be established and the work center around it.
The first job in the morning would be to catch up the horses from the ready-made corral. Each man would go in and get a horse for himself and the day wrangler would take off those remaining.
When the saddling commenced the fun began. Some of the horses would buck and hump their backs as the cold saddle hit their back. Even with the saddle on, the thing did not always work smoothly, as a few of the horses would buck wildly after the rider mounted. Occasionally a cowboy would be thrown and the horse dash for freedom, only to be rounded up and returned for another occasion.
With the horses mounted, the foreman would send out groups of cowboys in different directions to bring in the cattle. "Bill, you go up this creek, and Pete, you and Jack, and Buck and Jake go with him." This group would go out a certain distance and then drive to camp all of the stock they came across.
The calves with their mothers would be cut out of the herd, the cow's brand read and the calf branded accordingly. The range cows watched their calves closer than present day
domesticated cattle do, because they had never been separated. The cattle were also very much wilder.
From the big bunch of cattle near camp the owners or the "rep" (representatives from another roundup association) would spot his cattle in the bunch then the roundup captain would order them run out.
There would be four to six horses cutting out just one brand; an attempt being made to cut out all of one man's and brand them while another bunch of cowboys cut out another bunch. The tail and combinations would finally get together at the end because both cow and calf will naturally return to where the calf last sucked.
The combination of cowboys which cut out a bunch of stock out of the bunch would attend to the branding. One would rope a calf and bring it in, someone else would heel it, a third wield the knife, while a fourth cowboy would brand. Until about 100 yards from the corral the calf would be watched to see that it found its mother. Some lazy cowboys would never come in for this work others might stay in all day doing one of these tasks.
The aim was to bring in enough cattle from the range for the day's work and they would come in to the corral from several directions. If too many were rounded up they would be held over until the next day. When one bunch of cattle was branded the roundup would move on 20 miles or so to another station.
In the Fall beef roundup when the cattle were collected for shipment, all the cattle of one brand would be kept together but when there were too many brands in the bunch, they would be separated in Chicago.
In driving the cattle to the shipping point a days drive average from eight to ten miles. They were gotten up off the bed ground in the morning and let browse until full. The herd was then strung out to water, cattle needing water about every twenty-four hours.
Sometimes a dry camp would have to be made and then the cattle would be extremely restless and hard to hold. Cattle will go toward water in spite of everything, especially after a dry camp.
At night after bedding down the night-herders took charge, spending the night circling the herd, singing to them in order to accustom them to noises as any unusual noise or occurence as the flash of a light or lightening or the sound of some wild animal might start a stampede.
If the bunch stampeded they would come up off the bed-ground like a flash all together, running, and headed one way.
If a stampede did start, the herders would ride alongside trying to turn the leaders and get the bunch into an ever-decreasing circle called a mill. A mill looks like a vast sea of heads and horns, and how they do sweat. If continued too long a mill would be very injurious to the cattle so that a close string of horsemen rides through the middle of it--a rather ticklish job for the cowboy.
Every herd too, had its night-hawks or cattle who stayed up late.
The cowboy on occasions had his fine clothes and equipment but in the course of the everyday work he of necessity wore ragged, dirty clothes and was sometimes lousy. He wore a bandana handkerchief, high-heeled boots, a shirt and sometimes coats; his chaps were either hairy or of leather. He carried a slicker tied behind his saddle and kept his extra clothes in a sack, a "possible" sack, possibly he had what clothes he wanted in it and possibly he didn't.
The men at the roundup were fed from a big cook tent and lived on beef and bread of various kinds, coffee or tea, beans, prunes, rice, sugar but no milk, dried fruit, some bacon and cake for supper. There was no canned goods.
To withstand the life of exposure, long hours and hard work necessitated by the cattle industry the cowboy must of necessity have been a rugged type of man, able to withstand the varied assaults of the elements, from the heat and dust of branding time to the coldest blasts of a Montana blizzard. Through all of it he stuck until the job was finished, never deserting the herd.
After the buffalo disappeared and the steamboats stopped coming up the river there was little left for the buffalo hunter, the trader or the woodhawk to do so that some of them took to stealing cattle. This Nefarious occupation grew rapidly in the early 1880's making stockraising too much of a gamble. It became so burdensome and intolerable by 1884, coupled with the fact that this region, then the eastern part of Meagher county, was a long way from the seat of the administration of justice, White Sulphur Springs, that some of the Cattlemen took the cure of the situation into their own hands. After a considerable number of the rustlers -- and several innocent men--had been killed by the vigilantes, the rustling of stock was reduced to the vanishing point.
GOLD MINING
The first discovery of gold which was to lead to large-scale mining in Fergus County was made in May 1880 by Joe Anderson and David Jones. This discovery was made in Alpine Gulch in the Judith Mountains. These two men were joined in June 1880 by C. C. Snow and F. F. McPartlan. Other discoveries, including Warm Springs Gulch, followed in rapid succession.
Within a few years the entire Judith range had been prospected and a large number of mines developed. The first mines were placers which soon petered out, an insufficient water supply being a contributory reason. Quartz mining was started in 1880 and became the only method used.
Perhaps the two most famous mines at Maiden were the Montana which came to be known as the Maginnis mine and mill and the Spotted Horse. The Maginnis operated at intervals until 1899. Since then it has been reworked two or three times much to the profit of the operator. About $2,000,000 has been taken out of Maginnis mine.
The Old Spotted Horse mine was discovered by Anderson and Jones, who had been grubstaked by Perry McAdow who had a store at the Dexter sawmill in Andersonville. Later McAdow obtained sole control of the property and put in a mill. The estimates on the amount taken out of the Spotted Horse vary from $5,500,000 to $7,000,000.
The first frame buildings in the town of Maiden were built in 1881, the town growing rapidly as the news of the gold discoveries spread, In 1883 there were 154 buildings in town and about 150 recorded claims. In 1888 it had about 1,200 population but less than 200 in 1896.
On August 8, 1883, all persons were ordered off the Fort Maginnis military reservation and as Maiden and most of the surrounding mines were on the unsurveyed northern portion of the reservation, it caused considerable consternation in camp. After a hastily called miners' meeting a committee called on Captain Durham and secured his consent to a withdrawal of the mining district from the reservation. A petition to this effect was presented to President Arthur who ordered a stay of execution of the order and Congress later passed the necessary legislation reducing the military reserve.
Maiden saw hard times during the winter of 1883-83. The Collar Mill had failed leaving several months; wages in arrears. Some of the inhabitants even disposed of surplus dogs. Captain Cass Durham supplies a quantity of provisions from Fort Maginnis.
The Gilt Edge mine was located in 1884-85 by Wilson, Anderson, and Munson. The Gilt Edge mill was one of the first in the United States to use the cyanide process. In 1896 and 1897 the property was worked by lien-holders and a receiver. Gilt Edge was in its heyday in the several years following 1898. About $1,250,000 in gold was produced in the vicinity.
There was considerable prospecting and several claims were located in the North Moccasin Mountains in the 1880's. The Kendall mine was the first to be developed. Harry Kendall sold the mine to Spokane interests in 1900. A 500-ton mill was built by them and a power plant built on Warm Springs Creek. From 1901 to 1912 it produced over $3,500,000 in gold.
The Barnes-King group of mines, north of the original Kendall mine, yielded almost $2,000,000 up to the first part of 1919.
FORT MAGINNIS
The stock interests in the Basin needed protection from the roving Indians, who, in spite of the fact that they had been allotted reservations, frequently came into Central Montana in search of game. Not always finding their former favorite, the buffalo, they took the nearest members of the family Boinae, much to the alarm of the stockmen.
Through the influence of our territorial delegate in Congress, Martin Maginnis, a military post, named after Maginnis, was established in what was then eastern Meagher county, in July 1880 by Captain Dangerfield Park, commanding two companies of the 3rd Infantry. The reservation with the mining district withdrawn was seven by nine miles in size and was located north of the Judith mountains on Ford's creek.
In august 1880 Lieutenant Faye Roe, his wife and party of soldiers were transferred to Fort Maginnis. Mrs. Roe has left us an account of conditions found in 1880, Colonel Palmer was in command. Most of the garrison was living in tents, details of soldiers going to the mountains for poles with which to make roofs for the quarters. In later years, frame buildings were erected.
In October Mrs. Roe remarked that "it was not surprising that politicians got a military post established here, so this wonderful country could be opened and settled."
Fort Maginnis was abandoned in 1889.
POLITICAL
That part of Montana between Arrow creek and the Musselshell river was originally the eastern part of Meagher county, with the county seat at White Sulphur Springs. During the early 1880's as we have previously found, this region had a heavy influx of miners, stockmen and settlers. The 150 miles to the county seat and the difficulty of administering justice and transacting other business naturally led to a movement for the establishment of a separate county out of eastern Meagher.
Fergus county was authorized by the legislature of 1885 to take effect December 1, 1886, after the November election of officials. Lewistown was designated as the county seat.
The eastern boundary was the Musselshell river; the southern, the Musselshell to Careless creek, (a little east of Harlowton) up Careless creek, and then west to the Belts; the western
boundary was the Belt mountains and Arrow creek to a point on Arrow creek on the same parallel as the mouth of Smith river; while the northern boundary was the Chouteau county line (the original Fergus not going to the Missouri). This strip was added to Fergus about 1889, we paying Chouteau $2,500 for it.
The first delimitation of Fergus county was made on our southern boundary in 1911, when Musselshell county was created; the next in 1917 when Wheatland was removed; Judith Basin county set up for itself in 1920 and Petroleum in 1922.
TRANSPORTATION
Until the coming of the railroad most of the goods brought into Fergus county were brought in on freight wagons pulled by teams of bulls or horses or mules. The old time drivers of these conveyances, known as "bullwhackers" or "skinners", displayed great ability in managing both loads and animals.
Most of the freight brought in here before 1882 came up the Missouri to Rocky Point, Claggett (Norris's Landing) or Fort Benton and was freighted down into the Basin. After the Northern Pacific came to Billings and the Manitoba (Great Northern) came to Big Sandy and later to Fort Benton much of the goods was freighted from these points.
Central Montana waited long for a railroad and many people are alive in Lewistown today who remember the time when the "Jawbone" (Montana Railroad) came up from Harlowton in 1903. The Jawbone was brought by the Milwaukee in1908, the same year that the Great Northern branch was built in from Moccasin.
The coming of the railroads marks a new era in the history of Fergus county as it made possible a convenient outlet for agricultural products on a large scale. Homesteaders came in steadily so that by 1910 most of the creek lands were taken up and the time we entered the war most of the lands that ordinarily would be used for grain growing was under cultivation.
SINCE THE WAR
The war brought its accompanying wave of inflation of prices for almost everything; land, grain, stock and labor went up--then came the disastrous drought of 1919, followed by the hard winter of 1919-1920. Of the number of failures and heartaches of this and succeeding years, there is no detailed record, but the latter must number with the snowflakes.
The drought with its disastrous effect on grain and the death of large numbers of cattle in 1919-29 so weakened the financial stability of the banks of Fergus county, together with some over-expansion and aggravated by the sudden insistence of the Federal Reserve Bank in calling its collateral, that, although they "staggered" through for four years, the banks finally went under in 1924.
Fergus county has today reached its last frontier, the manufacturing stage of industry. We have a cement plant, two gypsum plants, manufacture brick and tile, have two oil refineries, grain elevators, flour mills, three creameries, coal mines, a stone quarry and a Chamber of Commerce.
Fergus or Central Montana, then, is a "Miniature of the West" for it has had an Indian and buffalo frontier, a fur-trading period, its gold rush, its stockraising days, it has seen the stage coach and the freight teams, its homesteader followed by agriculture on a large scale, and has the binning of manufacturer--what will it do with its future?